
COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. ____ Page 4 of 6
Meeting Date: April 24, 2018
Template revised September 22, 2016.
• Participated in Seattle’s Strawless September campaign to reduce plastic pollution and
permanently switched to on-request only environmentally preferable straws;
• Donated 16,574 meals (20,718 lbs.), $20,000 cash, and 40 backpacks to the Des
Moines Area Food Bank;
• Reduced STIA restaurant waste and conserved resources including:
o Recycling 68 tons of glass and cardboard, and 7,000 pallets from Airport
warehouse;
o Using environmentally-preferable durable (washable) food service ware;
o Donating or recycling nearly all used restaurant equipment and furniture
during four restaurant closures in 2017;
o Converting to energy-efficient LED lighting Energy-Star rated appliances; and
o Conserving water by offering it on-request only to sit-down restaurant
customers.
Innovation – Small Business
The Common Acre
This award recognizes The Common Acre for its innovative, ecologically-focused land
conservation project called “Flight Path”, which highlights effective public-private partnership
and community outreach. The Common Acre:
• Partnered with Port staff to convert three acres of neglected scrub land at the former
Tyee Golf Course into managed pollinator habitat;
• Bred disease-resistant honeybees including 70 queen bees to enhance site and
surrounding area pollination and improve ecosystem health;
• Developed a custom native plant seed mix using select plant species that support
healthy pollinator populations and improve aviation safety by discouraging bird
flocking;
• Commissioned and installed a pollinator and transportation-themed art exhibit in the
Airport terminal between 2014 and 2015 that featured 26 regional artists and reached
over two million viewers; and
• Harvested and sold honey from STIA beehives to help cover operational costs.
FLY QUIET AWARDS
Airlines are judged using 3 award criteria: the sound levels of their operations (utilizing 4 of the
Port’s noise monitors), success at flying within the noise abatement flight procedures, and
adhering to the airport’s ground maintenance engine run-up regulations.